Abstract:

A method of playing a Blackjack game provides a side-bet against a bust.
Should a bust occur the bust card is combined with four subsequently
dealt playing cards to define a five-card poker hand. This resulting
poker hand is compared to a predetermined hierarchy of poker hands, and
payouts are awarded for winning outcomes.

Claims:

1. A method of playing a wagering game, comprising:providing an electronic
gaming machine configured to display images of playing cards;placing a
first wager through the electronic gaming machine to participate in a
casino blackjack-type game;placing a second wager through the electronic
gaming machine to participate in a side bet;resolving said first wager
through completion of said casino blackjack-type game under conventional
rules of blackjack including the player receiving images of cards to form
an initial blackjack hand, allowing the player to receive additional
images of cards, a player busting if an additional card image received by
the player results in the player's final blackjack hand exceeding 21, and
the busting player forfeiting said first wager;resolving said second
wager only if the player received an additional card image resulting in
the player's hand busting during the playing of the conventional
blackjack game, and identifying the additional card image as a bust
playing card;separating the bust playing card image from all other
playing card images used in the busted player's hand in the conventional
blackjack game, and discarding all the other playing card images from
play;combining only said bust playing card image with a plurality of
subsequently dealt playing card images to define a poker hand;evaluating
said poker hand according to a winning event table; andmaking a payout on
said second wager for one of a plurality of winning outcomes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said resolution of said second wager for
the player that does not obtain a bust card image is a predetermined
outcome.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said predetermined outcome is a push.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said resolution of said second wager for
the player that does obtain a bust playing card image comprises the steps
of:identifying said bust playing card image,selecting said bust playing
card image and discarding all such other playing card images as were
obtained during resolution of said first wager,dealing an additional
number of playing card images such that said bust playing card image and
said additional number of playing card images define a virtual poker
hand, andevaluating said poker hand according to a winning event table.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said additional number of playing card
images is four, and wherein said poker hand consists of five playing card
images.

7. The method of claim 5, and further comprising:making a payout to the
player on said second wager for one of a plurality of winning outcomes.

[0003]This invention is in the field of gaming and, more particularly,
wagering games using playing cards or images of playing cards. More
specifically, the present invention relates to a casino-style game played
under the rules of Blackjack with optional subsequent play utilizing a
payout table of poker.

[0004]2. Related Art

[0005]Two major factors affect the profitability of casino playing card
table games: (1) the house advantage; and (2) the quantity of games that
can be played in a given period of time. It is difficult to make
significant changes to either without encountering resistance from
players--as well as dealers.

[0006]While all types of new table games are being presented to casinos
for test marketing, there is a reluctance to depart greatly from the
existing games offered. Casinos are understandably reluctant to replace
known table games with new games/playing surfaces where their present
tables regularly provide predictable streams of revenue for the casino.
Additionally, new games present learning challenges to both players and
dealers, tending to slow down table action, and table receipts.

[0007]Blackjack and poker are probably the most widely known playing card
games, and thus are among the most commonly offered by casinos. As
casinos look for ways to increase table profitability, side betting
features are appearing in proposed variations to both blackjack and
poker. Unfortunately, most seem to add complexities that result in either
few players participating or an overall slowdown in game cycles that
offset all or part of the gains made through the side betting.

[0008]There is a need for new casino-style playing card games that include
new betting opportunities for players within well-known and widely
understood--or easily learned, playing card games. There is a further
need for playing card games that offer players a second opportunity for
winning--particularly in the form of a consolation bet if an initial
wager is lost.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0009]The casino card game of 21 TO THE RIVER® is an exhilarating
playing card game that combines blackjack and poker into a single
formatted game.

[0010]It is an advantage of the present invention to meet the foregoing
needs, and others, by providing a playing card game that is house-banked
with an added wagering feature played as a side bet with blackjack. A
player must make a blackjack wager and a poker wager (termed "21 TO THE
RIVER®" wager) in order to play. Wagering limits are set by the house.

[0011]It is a further advantage of the present invention that upon both
wagers being placed, play proceeds under the rules of blackjack. When a
player bust occurs, the bust card is utilized as an initial card in a
5-card poker hand, the dealer provides four additional cards, and the
resulting five card hand is compared to a poker payout table to determine
winning results.

[0012]A method of playing a wagering game, comprising: placing a first
wager to participate in a casino blackjack-type game; placing a second
wager to participate in a side bet; resolving said first wager through
completion of said casino blackjack-type game under conventional rules of
blackjack; and resolving said second wager for such players as obtain a
bust playing card as a result of said resolved first wager, said
resolution of said second wager in accordance with a winning event table
and utilizing a value of said bust playing card and only such additional
cards as are provided by a dealer after resolution of said first wager.

[0013]A method of playing a live casino blackjack game comprising: placing
a side-bet wager; dealing and resolving a conventional blackjack playing
card game; identifying a busted hand; separating a bust card from all
other playing cards in said busted hand; combining said bust card with a
plurality of subsequently dealt playing cards to define a poker hand;
evaluating said poker hand according to a winning event table; and making
a payout on said side-bet wager for one of a plurality of winning
outcomes.

[0014]These and various other advantages and features of the present
invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims. Reference
should also be had to the drawings which form a further part hereof, as
well as to the accompanying descriptive matter in which are illustrated
and described in various examples of with the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0015]FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a group of indicia on a playing
surface defining a plurality of individual playing areas whereupon a game
is played in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

[0016]FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing one of said plurality of
individual playing areas.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017]Reference is now made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to
like indicia throughout. In FIG. 1, a playing surface 10 is provided with
a plurality of inscribed geometric shapes to assist in the play of a card
game described hereinafter.

[0018]A plurality of player positions 14 and a dealer position 16 are
spaced opposite one-another on the playing surface 10. Each of the player
positions is provided with a pair of wagering areas; a first, blackjack
betting area 22 and a second, poker betting area 26 (also see FIG. 2 for
an enlarged view of the player position 14). As will be discussed in
greater detail hereinafter, a player must place a wager in each of these
two wagering areas in order to participate in the play of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention.

[0019]A preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates the use
of multiple 52-card decks of playing cards placed in a playing card shoe
32. Each deck comprises a standard deck minus any jokers, with the cards
located in the playing card shoe 32 used to deal each of the player's
hands as well as the dealer's hand. A chip rack 38 is located adjacent
the dealer position 16 and holds playing chips of typical wagering
denominations.

[0020]As mentioned in the foregoing, it is presently contemplated that the
game will be played with multiple 52-card decks of playing
cards--preferably six decks, although it is to be understood and
appreciated that play with a single deck also lies within the present
invention.

[0021]A presently preferred embodiment of the present game is played using
standard blackjack rules, with six decks of cards and up to 6 players.
Play begins by each player making a blackjack wager and a poker wager.
These wagers can be of any size so long as they are within the house
limits, and in the presently preferred embodiment, the two wagers are not
required to be of the same size. Additionally, in the presently preferred
embodiment such a poker wager (also termed a 21 TO THE RIVER® wager)
is mandatory for all players; however, playing where such wagers are
optional is considered to lie within the present invention.

[0022]As in conventional blackjack, each player receives 2 cards, one
at-a-time, face up, and in a clockwise rotation with the other players.
The dealer also receives 2 cards; the first card facing down and the
second card facing up. As in conventional blackjack, each of the players
plays his/her blackjack hand in a normal fashion, including hitting,
standing, doubling, and splitting in accordance with house rules. The
player either achieves a total of 21 or less, or else the player busts
with a playing card total of 22 or greater.

[0023]If the player's final total is 21 or less, then the blackjack wager
is resolved as usual, and the poker wager ("21 TO THE RIVER®" wager)
is considered a push. If the player's final total is 22 or greater, the
player is said to "bust" and, as with conventional Blackjack rules, that
player forfeits his/her blackjack wager. The final card the player
received that caused the "bust" (termed the "bust card") is then used as
that player's first card for the poker wager.

[0024]For those situations where the player splits his/her blackjack hand,
the first hand that busts is the one used for the poker wager. If no hand
busts after splitting, then the poker wager is considered a "push."

[0025]The losing blackjack wager is removed by the dealer and the bust
card is set in front of the poker wager, face up. The remaining cards for
the blackjack hand are removed by the dealer.

[0026]After all blackjack hands are resolved by the dealer, the dealer
goes to the first player with a bust card and deals that player four
additional cards to make a five-card poker hand. That five-card hand is
then evaluated against a winning event table 44 and paid according to the
listed odds and the wager initially placed. All cards are then collected
from the player, and if no winning result, the poker wager is removed,
and play continues in rotation with the next player having a bust card,
until all poker wagers are resolved.

[0027]The rules and play of the game are described below in a series of
examples.

EXAMPLE 1

[0028]This game is played with six decks of cards and up to six players.
After the initial blackjack and poker wagers are made, the dealer
shuffles the cards and gives each player two cards, face up, and one at a
time.

[0029]The first player is dealt a "10" and a "4" (as in traditional
blackjack, the card suit is irrelevant) for a point total of fourteen
(14). The dealer gives the first player an option to "hit" or "stay", the
first player elects to "hit," and receives a Queen. Face cards have a
ten-point value, so the first player's hand now has a point total of
twenty four (24). This point total exceeds twenty one (21) so the first
player's hand "busts," resulting in a loss of the first player's
blackjack bet. The blackjack hands for the other players are then
resolved, before the dealer returns to the busted first player.

[0030]Since the first player busted on the third card, the dealer had
previously placed the bust card--the "Queen", in front of the poker
wagering area 26. The dealer deals the first player an additional four
cards, face up: "3", "Ace", "Queen", and "7". Winning hands require a
pair of "Jacks" or higher to win, and here, the first player wins by
having a pair of "Queen's". Dealer pays the first player even money for
this winning pair.

EXAMPLE 2

[0031]After making the initial blackjack and poker wagers, the second
player is initially dealt an "Ace" and a "9" for a total of twenty (20)
points. The second player elects to "stay." The dealer's cards are a "7"
and a "10," for a point total of seventeen (17). The house rules require
the dealer to "stay" with that point total, so the second player wins at
blackjack. The (unused) poker bet results in a push.

EXAMPLE 3

[0032]After the initial blackjack and poker wagers are made, the third
player receives a "7" and a "7" from the initial blackjack deal. The
third player elects to split his/her cards, and puts down a second bet.
The third player "hits" on his first "7""; and receives a `10'' for a
total of seventeen (17). The third player decides to "stay" on that hand.

[0033]Dealer advises the third player that it is a "push," then places a
second card, "6", on the second "7" for a hand total of thirteen (13).
The third player elects to receive another "hit," and receives a "9" for
a point total of twenty two (22)--for a player bust. Since the third card
was the bust card, the player plays the poker hand beginning with the "9"
bust card. The third player will need a pair of Jacks or higher to win
even money on the poker hand.

[0034]The blackjack payouts are preferably standard payouts typical for
the game of blackjack. It is to be understood that the payouts can be
established by the house, and thus can vary from the presently preferred
payouts for the poker option as are set forth below:

TABLE-US-00001
Payout Hand Payout
Royal Flush 500 to 1
Straight Flush 250 to 1
Five of a Kind 100 to 1
Four of a Kind 40 to 1
Full House 20 to 1
Flush 8 to 1
Straight 5 to 1
Three of a Kind 3 to 1
Two Pairs 1 to 1
Pair of Jacks or Higher 1 to 1

A payout is limited to only the highest hand value (should one hand
satisfy two or more winning payouts), and there is no payout associated
with any other hand.

[0035]The present invention can easily be adapted for play on an
electronic gaming machine and it is to be understood and appreciated that
such an adaptation and manner of use lies within the scope of the present
invention.

[0036]The present invention has been disclosed in terms of a preferred
embodiment thereof, which provides a casino wagering game that is of
great novelty and utility. Various changes, modifications, and
alterations in the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated
by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit
and scope thereof. It is intended that the present invention encompass
such changes and modifications.